Such a vacuum treatment apparatus is e.g. used in thin film solar cells production or in the field of semiconductor production. For example WO 2010/105967 A2 shows an apparatus that is used for treating silicon wafers, which are used as a base for solar cells. The apparatus comprises different treatment chambers or stations for treating the substrates, for example for sputtering, etching or heating. For transferring the substrates between these treatment chambers, the apparatus comprises a circular transfer chamber, called vacuum treatment recipient that comprises individual handling zones located adjacent to each of the treatment chambers. In operation, a rotating carrier, called transport arrangement, transfers the substrates between the different handling zones and in a further step, substrate handlers move the substrates between the handling zones and the adjacent treatment chambers.